Surrey will retire Tom Maynard’s squad number and are exploring the
establishment of a scholarship in his memory.

The players will all wear shirts with his number 55 on the back in a Twenty20match next month before it is permanently removed.

A bursary set up in Maynard’s memory is also being discussed by Surrey as they contemplate the best way to commemorate a popular young player.

His team-mates stood for a minute’s silence and both sides wore black armbands during their Twenty20 match against Essex last night in Chelmsford, their first return to the cricket field since Maynard’s death on a London train line in the early hours of Monday morning.

Several players were clearly very emotional at the end of the minute’s silence with Jason Roy, who appeared with Maynard on the Sky Sports programme Cricket AM recently, seemingly in tears. He recovered sufficiently to hit the second ball of the match for four and went on to strike two sixes before holing out for 36.

Rory Hamilton-Brown, the Surrey captain and Maynard’s friend since school days, did not play and has been given extended compassionate leave by Surrey, who have provided professional bereavement counsellors to help the players.

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Hamilton-Brown lined up with his team-mates, who locked arms during the minute’s silence, but there is uncertainty over when he will play again and the club are conscious of the fact he must choose the timing of his return.

A floodlit Twenty20 match at Chelmsford was a slightly incongruous backdrop to a sombre moment for the Surrey players but the minute’s silence was respectfully observed by the capacity 5,500 crowd.

In some respects playing away from home may have helped. Photographs of Maynard are dotted around the Oval and the players will soon have to change in the dressing room where his locker is situated.

Surrey have a quiet week before three matches in four days at the Kia Oval from July 2, a period which will also include Maynard’s funeral in Cardiff.

Kevin Pietersen will play that week and it is understood he offered to return early to help Surrey this week as the club united in grief. The players trained for the first time on Thursday and that day the club also held a lunch with all staff to remember Maynard.

An inquest into his death was opened at Westminster Coroner’s Court yesterday morning and adjourned until Sept 24. British Transport Police confirmed Maynard died from electrocution before being hit by a District Line train and “extensive investigations” into the circumstances surrounding his death are being carried out as part of the inquest.

The police yesterday issued an appeal for information from residents in Wimbledon Park as they investigate what happened in the 45 minutes between him being stopped by officers for driving “erratically” and being struck by the train at 5am.

Maynard’s funeral will take place on July 4 at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff followed by a gathering at Pentyrch Rugby Club.